Chinese Art Activist Returns to Ruins of Bulldozed Arts District

BEIJING — Photographer and installation artist Wu Yuren (吴玉仁), who Hyperallergic profiled last year for his activist work, has returned after a year to visit the 008 and Zhengyang arts districts, both the sites of a heated battle between the arts community and local developers and police officials.

In recent months, Wu found himself in a growing confrontation with developers and police over the future of the art district known as 008. In February, he was among a small group of artists who were beaten up by what they later described as a hundred masked men swinging iron rods, who had been sent, they assumed, by developers seeking to clear the area for a large-scale residential project. (This image, bizarre as it sounds, is not unheard of.) When the artists failed to get police to respond, Wu and the artists took the unusual step of staging a small protest down Chang’an Avenue, in the politically sacred heart of the capital.

One need only witness the history of arts neighborhoods in New York, like SoHo, DUMBO and Williamsburg, to know that artists always struggle against urban development, regardless of the country. But the thuggery alleged above was just the beginning of the troubles for Wu, known affectionately as “Da Wu” amongst his circle (it means “Great Wu” or “Big Wu”).

Da Wu yesterday visited the area, first stopping by 008 Arts District and then going through Zhengyang Arts District. This was his first visit back after his release on April 3, and he posted pictures on Weibo. When I asked him about the trip, he told me in Chinese:

I smoked half a pack of cigarettes by myself on the ruins. This was once a place of life, creativity and struggle. It still sheds blood. I am saddened.

He posted 21 images, but I’ve selected about half of them here and translated his commentary, with his permission:

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